Latest news with #Magen
eNCA
04-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Missile hits Israel airport area in attack claimed by Yemen's Huthis
TEL AVIV-YAFO - A missile landed inside the perimeter of Israel's main airport on Sunday, wounding six people, halting flights and gouging a wide crater, in an attack claimed by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels. The Israeli military said "several attempts were made to intercept" the missile that was launched from Yemen, a rare Huthi attack that penetrated Israel's air defences. A video issued by Israel's police force showed officers standing on the edge of a deep crater with the control tower visible in the distance behind them. No damage was reported to airport buildings or runways. The police reported a "missile impact" at Ben Gurion airport, Israel's main international gateway. An AFP photographer said the missile hit near the parking lots of Terminal 3, the airport's largest, with the crater less than a kilometre (0.6 miles) away from the closest tarmac. "You can see the area just behind us: a crater was formed here, several dozen metres (yards) wide and several dozen metres deep," central Israel's police chief, Yair Hezroni, said in the video shared by the force. It was not immediately clear whether the impact was caused by the Yemeni missile or by an interceptor. The attack was claimed by Yemen's Huthi rebels, who say they act in support for Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza. "The missile force of the Yemeni armed forces carried out a military operation targeting Ben Gurion airport" with a "hypersonic ballistic missile", the Huthis said in a statement, referring to their own forces. Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said it had treated at least six people with light to moderate injuries. An AFP journalist inside the airport at the time of the attack said he heard a "loud bang" at around 9:35 am (0635 GMT), adding the "reverberation was very strong". "Security staff immediately asked hundreds of passengers to take shelter, some in bunkers," the AFP journalist said. "Many passengers are now waiting for their flights to take off, and others are trying to find alternative flights." An incoming Air India flight was diverted to Abu Dhabi, an airport official told AFP. A passenger said the attack, which came shortly after air raid sirens sounded across parts of the country, caused panic. "It is crazy to say but since October 7 we are used to this," said the passenger, who did not want to be named, referring to the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. "A missile might come at any time and life stops for some time. Today at the airport there was panic and even I was scared, because the blast was big." - Vow to hit back - Israel's airport authority said that "departures and arrivals have resumed" at Ben Gurion, a short while after they had been interrupted due to the missile fire. The airport "is open and operational", the aviation authority said in a statement. Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened a forceful response, saying: "Anyone who hits us, we will hit them seven times stronger." The Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who control swathes of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians. On Saturday, the Huthis claimed a third missile attack on Israel in two days. The vast majority of missiles fired by the Huthis since the start of the Gaza war have been intercepted by Israeli air defences. AFP | Oren ZIV But in March, they threatened to resume attacks on international shipping over Israel's aid blockade on the Gaza Strip. The move triggered a response from the US military, which began hammering the rebels with near-daily air strikes starting March 15 in a bid to keep them from threatening shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. US strikes on the rebels began under former president Joe Biden, but intensified under his successor Donald Trump. Since March, the United States says it has struck more than 1,000 targets in Yemen.
Al Arabiya
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Israel fire: Several countries sending firefighting planes to help tackle major wildfire
Several countries were sending firefighting aircraft to Israel on Thursday as crews battled for a second day to extinguish a wildfire that had shut down a major highway linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and sent drivers scrambling from their cars. The fire broke out around midday on Wednesday, fueled by hot, dry conditions and fanned by strong winds that quickly whipped up the flames burning through a pine forest. Several communities were evacuated as a precaution as the smoke turned the skies over Jerusalem gray. Israel's Fire and Rescue Services warned the public to stay away from parks or forests, and to be exceptionally careful while lighting barbecues. Thursday is Israel's Independence Day, which is typically marked with large family cookouts in parks and forests. At least 12 people were treated in hospitals on Wednesday, mainly due to smoke inhalation, while another 10 people were treated in the field, Magen David Adom Ambulance services said. Italy, Croatia, Spain, France and Romania were sending planes to help battle the flames, while several other countries, including North Macedonia and Cyprus, were also sending water-dropping aircraft. Israeli authorities said 10 firefighting planes were operating on Thursday morning, with another eight aircraft to arrive during the course of the day. The main highway linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv was opened again on Thursday, a day after the flames had encroached on the road, forcing drivers to abandon their cars and flee in terror. On Thursday morning, broad swathes of burned areas were visible from the highway, while pink anti-flame retardant dusted the top of burned trees and bushes. Smoke and the smell of fire hung heavy in the air. In 2010, a massive forest fire burned for four days on northern Israel's Mount Carmel, claiming 44 lives and destroying around 12,000 acres, much of it woodland.
The Independent
01-05-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Several countries sending firefighting planes to Israel to help tackle major wildfire
Several countries were sending firefighting aircraft to Israel on Thursday as crews battled for a second day to extinguish a wildfire that had shut down a major highway linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and sent drivers scrambling from their cars. The fire broke out around midday on Wednesday, fueled by hot, dry conditions and fanned by strong winds that quickly whipped up the flames burning through a pine forest. Several communities were evacuated as a precaution as the smoke turned the skies over Jerusalem gray. Israel's Fire and Rescue Services warned the public to stay away from parks or forests, and to be exceptionally careful while lighting barbecues. Thursday is Israel's Independence Day, which is typically marked with large family cookouts in parks and forests. At least 12 people were treated in hospitals on Wednesday, mainly due to smoke inhalation, while another 10 people were treated in the field, Magen David Adom Ambulance services said. Italy, Croatia, Spain, France and Romania were sending planes to help battle the flames, while several other countries, including North Macedonia and Cyprus, were also sending water-dropping aircraft. Israeli authorities said 10 firefighting planes were operating on Thursday morning, with another eight aircraft to arrive during the course of the day. The main highway linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv was opened again on Thursday, a day after the flames had encroached on the road, forcing drivers to abandon their cars and flee in terror. On Thursday morning, broad swathes of burned areas were visible from the highway, while pink anti-flame retardant dusted the top of burned trees and bushes. Smoke and the smell of fire hung heavy in the air. In 2010, a massive forest fire burned for four days on northern Israel's Mount Carmel, claiming 44 lives and destroying around 12,000 acres, much of it woodland.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Raging wildfires near Jerusalem prompt army deployment
Dark plumes of smoke billowed above highways near Jerusalem on Wednesday as rapidly spreading wildfires caused several injuries and prompted Defence Minister Israel Katz to declare the situation a "national emergency". Israel's Magen David Adom rescue agency reported that hundreds of civilians were at risk from the worst brushfires in years, as Katz ordered troops to deploy to support firefighters. MDA said it had provided treatment to around 22 people, with 12 taken to hospital, the majority suffering from smoke inhalation. It added the alert level had been raised to the highest level. "We are facing a national emergency, and all available forces must be mobilised to save lives and bring the fires under control," Katz said in a statement from his ministry. Police closed the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and evacuated residents along the route as brushfires broke out in an area ravaged by blazes a week ago. "Large police forces are operating on the ground due to the spread of fires in the area of Route 1 and the Jerusalem Hills. The public is requested to avoid travelling to the area," the police said in a post on X. An AFP journalist at the scene said the fire was raging in wooded areas near the main road between Latrun and Beit Shemesh and that helicopters were working to extinguish the flames. Soldiers arrived on the scene in the middle of the afternoon, with many drivers abandoning their vehicles and fleeing as huge clouds of dark smoke billowed from the fire. AFP photos showed people sitting on the back of a recovery vehicle as they were evacuated from a highway. Communities located about 30 kilometres (19 miles) west of Jerusalem were evacuated, Israeli media reported, airing images of firefighting teams battling fierce flames. - 'Worsening weather conditions' - MDA emergency services said ambulance teams had been positioned near communities close to the fires and were ready to provide medical treatment and assist residents. A motorcycle unit was ready to offer medical assistance to citizens stuck in heavy traffic, the agency added. High temperatures and strong winds have allowed the fires in wooded areas to spread quickly, prompting evacuations from at least five communities, the police said in a statement. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees Israel's fire department, visited the affected area, which is prone to wildfires at this time of year. In a video statement, he said work was being done to bring more assistance to the affected areas and evacuate stranded civilians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said three aircraft would arrive soon from Italy and Croatia to help fight the fires. Fire and rescue services said that forces would not be able to participate in securing events for Israel's upcoming Independence Day, which could lead to the cancellation of events. Ben Gvir confirmed he had instructed all organisers of events in the evening requiring the presence of firefighting forces "to cancel the events". "The decision is aimed at reallocating forces to deal with the fire, strengthening firefighting units in the Jerusalem district, and preparing for the worsening weather conditions according to forecasts," a statement said. Due to the weather conditions, the Israeli minister responsible for arranging national ceremonies, Miri Regev, said the main Independence Day event planned for Wednesday evening in Jerusalem was cancelled. reg-acc/jd/jsa
Boston Globe
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Aliza Magen, highest-ranking woman in the Mossad, dies at 87
She participated in some of the Mossad's biggest operations, though many of the details of her work remain classified. She was fluent in German, and one of her first operations was a multiyear effort to undermine, assassinate, or turn German scientists who were building missiles for Egypt, which could have devastated Israel during a war. Advertisement From her base in Austria, she helped recruit a former top-ranking Nazi officer to become a Mossad asset. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In the 1970s she participated in a campaign called Operation Wrath of God to hunt down and kill the organizers of the 1972 terrorist attack at the Munich Olympics that led to the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches. She returned to Israel in the early 1980s. There she worked as the deputy head of the Mossad's Tzomet division, which handles agents and overseas intelligence gathering. She later ran the agency's administrative division and its operations center. Ms. Magen was preparing to retire in 1990 when Shabtai Shavit, the new Mossad director, asked her to be his deputy. The Mossad had long counted women among its ranks, but she was the first to rise to a top position in its leadership. Advertisement Ms. Magen made it clear that she had no aspirations to lead the Mossad, which is one reason that Shavit's successor, Danny Yatom, kept her on after he took office in 1996. Yatom was forced to resign in 1998 in the wake of a botched Mossad operation to bug the home of an alleged Hezbollah operative in Switzerland. Such was her reputation that Ms. Magen kept her post, serving for several more months under the next Mossad head, Efraim Halevy. 'She was always one of the most respected intelligence officers,' Halevy said in an interview. 'I trusted her in every aspect of what was going on in the Mossad.' Aliza Halevi was born on July 5, 1937, in Jerusalem, in what was then known as Mandatory Palestine and administered by Britain. Her parents were German Jews who had fled the Nazis, and she grew up speaking German along with Hebrew and English. She joined the Mossad in 1958 after completing her mandatory military service. Because of her language skills, she was assigned in 1961 to take notes at the trial of senior Nazi official Adolf Eichmann for his role in the Holocaust. Her comments and analysis caught the attention of the Mossad director at the time, Isser Harel, who cleared the way for her to rise in the ranks. Within a year she was working in Europe. She participated in scores of operations, including a successful effort to persuade an Iraqi fighter pilot to defect to Israel, with his plane. She also helped lead an international hunt for a Soviet Israeli boy named Yossele Schumacher, who had been abducted and taken out of the country by friends of his ultrareligious grandparents, who feared that his parents would raise him as secular. Mossad agents found him in New York City and returned him to Israel. Advertisement The case became a major scandal in Israel that deepened the rift between religious and secular society. She married Avraham Magen in 1973. He died in 2011. No immediate family members survive. For most of her career, Ms. Magen's role in the Mossad was a secret, only becoming public after her elevation to deputy. After that she spoke openly about the difficulties and advantages of being a woman in an intelligence career. It was often hard, she said, for a woman to rise in the ranks of the Mossad, because the top leadership roles required experience working undercover in foreign countries, assignments that are difficult for women to manage while raising a family. 'This is where the vicious circle of difficulty for the advancement of women is created,' she said in a 2008 interview with the Intelligence Heritage Center in Israel. At the same time, she said, female agents often have an easier time working undercover because people are less likely to be suspicious of them. 'In one exercise, for example, we had to observe a certain place, and there was no observation point we could be in without raising people's suspicions,' she said in a 2018 interview with Yediot Ahronot, a daily newspaper. 'So I found a small store across the street with a pavement in front of it. I asked the salesman if I could get a chair and rest outside for a while.' Advertisement She told him she felt dizzy, a claim that the man believed instantly. 'I just sat down on a chair calmly,' she said. 'I don't think a man could do such a thing.' This article originally appeared in
